I love RWA conference and truly the RWA board out did themselves this year. With the floods in Nashville, they were left with little time to secure a location that could and would hold all of us.
Imagine 2500 romance writers in one place. And that’s not counting the people who came over to conference without actually attending it. Romance writers, readers, lots of great conversations, food, drinks, and very little sleep. It was great.
What wasn’t so great was the heat. Yes, I live in Florida and you’d think I’d be used to the sweltering weather. Not so much. In the middle of the state there isn’t a breeze, or at least not much of one. And of course, they had a couple of record breaking heat days while we were there.
And I have the best roommate in the world. None other than my BFF and critique partner, LKap. The two of us together can be dangerous, but it’s a no brainer fun will be a part of everything we do.
Seeing mine and LKaps peeps and meeting new ones is some of the best times at conference for me. These include not yet published, published authors, editors, and agents. This once a year time is the only time I get to see them face to face and do we have fun.
It’s not about pitching to these people; it’s not about the work load, but more about what’s going on with each other over the past year. Catching up and knowing when Saturday night and Sunday morning roll around the good byes are bittersweet. We’re ready to go home, sleep in our own beds (well, sleep period will be a good thing), yet knowing it will be many months before we have this time again is hard.
We’ll talk online and send texts (hey, even flashing truckers will be shared), but it’s a long time until we’ll all be together again in the VIP area.
Nope, not even going to begin to name them here, because it’s not about who they are, but what their friendship means to me and LKap.
Workshops are another great thing at conference. Some people attend as many as they can, while I’m a little choosier on which ones I go to. That’s not because I’m all that a bag of chips (trust me, I’m not and I know that I’m not), no, it’s because my local chapter has fabulous workshops each month. Several of the conference workshops were given by my chapter mates.
I did attend Donald Maass’s workshop and can I go on record to say OMG, it was amazing! Of course it doesn’t hurt that he’s funny and not bad to look at either. Heehee. I can honestly say if you’re given the chance to hear him, go. Don’t hesitate; don’t ask yourself if you can afford it or if you should spend the time. The answer is yes.
Conference brain does linger on, taking days to settle down and allow you to remember what you were going for when you’re standing with the refrigerator door open and have no idea why.
You’re proud that RWA members such as yourself raised a ton of money to give to literacy. This is huge to me as a writer.
The book signings during conference will have waiting in line early and your back aching as you carry another box, full of free books signed by your favorite authors and the new authors you’ll now be reading, back to your room to be shipped home or packed in your car.
So conference means: no sleep, conference brain (that leaves you feeling a bit unglued), fabulous workshops, seeing friends, and meeting new ones. You pitch editors or agents your baby in hopes they’ll want to see read it and love it. Your feet hurt but you’ve got amazing pictures in your Rita/Golden Heart attire. You may think you might be getting a little too old for staying up all night partying (and this is from the young ones). But the thing is you’ll do it again and again. Where else can you sit at a luncheon and nibble on chicken of some kind and laugh while Nora Roberts talks only to end up during the last few lines of her speech wiping tears wondering where they came from.
You’ll have renewed energy to pursue your writing career, and you may find out you don’t Suck (thank you Kimberly Lang ). You’ll know that when Nora Roberts tells you ‘We eat hard for breakfast’, it’s the truth. And you’ll understand exactly what she means.
I miss the VIP group tons already and I can’t wait until we can do all over again next year in New York!
xoxoxo,
Vicki
Showing posts with label 10 RWA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 10 RWA. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
RWA Nationals Is Around The Corner – Are you ready to pitch?
Yesterday at TARA (Tampa Area Romance Authors) was our normal July meeting. With RWA National conference the month of July, we typically have what we call a Bird of a Feather meeting. We have critique groups by genre and it’s just a great day. This year we added a shorter morning workshop with Kimberly Llewellyn who talked about pitching. It was great. People even signed up to pitch their story to Kim at the end of the workshop. In front of everyone. Kim acted as the agent/editor (she reminded us several times she was a published author, not an agent or editor), and once they were through she asked questions much as would happen in a pitch appointment. It was great and amazing what you can hear when your listening. They all had really good/great pitches.
This got me to thinking back to my very first pitch. Several years ago (okay, more than several), I wrote an article on “Pitch That Story”. I was going to my very first RWA National conference. I didn’t have an appointment to see an editor/agent as my wip wasn’t finished. But I was working on a pitch.
Why? My book wasn’t finished, so why did I need a pitch? Because people will ask you about your book. You never know who you may end up talking with, meeting through another friend, or by simply having a drink at the bar. Oh and yes, the smoking area. It amazed me at my first conference how many people who DO NOT smoke, hang out in the smoking area. Lot’s of great connections happen there.
Anyway, back to the pitching thing. Whether you have an appointment or not, you should have an elevator pitch ready. Yes, if your wip isn’t complete.
Creating the perfect pitch sounds easy, right? Not so much. You’ve written the book and you know every detail that to you seem major important. Don’t get me wrong, each of those details are important. To the book. Not to the pitch.
Maybe you do have a pitch appointment or perhaps you’re going to check out any open/canceled spots. Either way you’re working on the pitch. You’ve got roughly eight minutes to tell them everything you believe will hook them and have them wanting more. The eight minutes is if you’re in an appointment. If you’re in the elevator you’ve got a couple of minutes at best.
Sit down, type out a summary of your book. If you have too, type bullet points of each chapter. Then condense those bullet points to one or two sentences for each chapter. Then condense again. One or two sentences for every three chapters. Touch on the most important parts of the story. The hero and heroine’s names are the only names you’ll want to use. Secondary character’s may be important to your story, but using their names in a pitch will only confuse the person you’re pitching to.
Don’t forget the GMC, goal, motivation, conflict. Someone wants something, but can’t have it because. Your pitch isn’t a synopsis. It’s more like a backcover blurb you’d read on the back of books. You can’t add to many words or it’s no longer a pitch. No one wants to pitch their work to an agent or editor only to see said agent/editors eyes glaze over when your in the middle of it.
Kathy Carmichael has an awesome pitch generator. It’s a starting off point though. You then have to do the same as you would with you wip. You have to flesh it out.
If you don’t have an appointment and especially if this is your first year, think about volunteering at the appointments if they still need people. Lkap and I met a lot of agents and editors that first year. It’s a good thing to volunteer at Nationals. People learn who you are and you are giving back your time to our “Mother Chapter”.
Back to the non-appointment but still need that pitch concern. I’d been told by several that while I may not have the actual appointment since I’d be there for quite a few hours directing appointment traffic that more often than not the volunteers are asked what they write and what it’s about. Again, several friends who did this the past several years were asked for partials just by volunteering and talking with the agents and editors.
I realize that this may or may not happen to anyone who is volunteering. But if it does you don’t want to stand there fumbling over your words. Looking like you have no idea what you write, how long it will be, and what the conflict and hook is.
And then there’s the sitting in the bar, riding the elevator, and just general conversation that could lead to someone asking: Tell me about your book question.
So, here I sit working on the all important pitch. Nope. This pitch isn’t for a finished book and no I don’t have an appointment (because my current wip isn’t finished). I am working hard to make it a back cover blurb in fewer words yet still giving what the book is about all the while making the person asking feel like “I’ve just got to read this.”
What about you? Are you pitching at nationals? Writing a query letter? Or are you reading a great book that you chose because of what you read on the back?
xoxoxo,
Vicki
This got me to thinking back to my very first pitch. Several years ago (okay, more than several), I wrote an article on “Pitch That Story”. I was going to my very first RWA National conference. I didn’t have an appointment to see an editor/agent as my wip wasn’t finished. But I was working on a pitch.
Why? My book wasn’t finished, so why did I need a pitch? Because people will ask you about your book. You never know who you may end up talking with, meeting through another friend, or by simply having a drink at the bar. Oh and yes, the smoking area. It amazed me at my first conference how many people who DO NOT smoke, hang out in the smoking area. Lot’s of great connections happen there.
Anyway, back to the pitching thing. Whether you have an appointment or not, you should have an elevator pitch ready. Yes, if your wip isn’t complete.
Creating the perfect pitch sounds easy, right? Not so much. You’ve written the book and you know every detail that to you seem major important. Don’t get me wrong, each of those details are important. To the book. Not to the pitch.
Maybe you do have a pitch appointment or perhaps you’re going to check out any open/canceled spots. Either way you’re working on the pitch. You’ve got roughly eight minutes to tell them everything you believe will hook them and have them wanting more. The eight minutes is if you’re in an appointment. If you’re in the elevator you’ve got a couple of minutes at best.
Sit down, type out a summary of your book. If you have too, type bullet points of each chapter. Then condense those bullet points to one or two sentences for each chapter. Then condense again. One or two sentences for every three chapters. Touch on the most important parts of the story. The hero and heroine’s names are the only names you’ll want to use. Secondary character’s may be important to your story, but using their names in a pitch will only confuse the person you’re pitching to.
Don’t forget the GMC, goal, motivation, conflict. Someone wants something, but can’t have it because. Your pitch isn’t a synopsis. It’s more like a backcover blurb you’d read on the back of books. You can’t add to many words or it’s no longer a pitch. No one wants to pitch their work to an agent or editor only to see said agent/editors eyes glaze over when your in the middle of it.
Kathy Carmichael has an awesome pitch generator. It’s a starting off point though. You then have to do the same as you would with you wip. You have to flesh it out.
If you don’t have an appointment and especially if this is your first year, think about volunteering at the appointments if they still need people. Lkap and I met a lot of agents and editors that first year. It’s a good thing to volunteer at Nationals. People learn who you are and you are giving back your time to our “Mother Chapter”.
Back to the non-appointment but still need that pitch concern. I’d been told by several that while I may not have the actual appointment since I’d be there for quite a few hours directing appointment traffic that more often than not the volunteers are asked what they write and what it’s about. Again, several friends who did this the past several years were asked for partials just by volunteering and talking with the agents and editors.
I realize that this may or may not happen to anyone who is volunteering. But if it does you don’t want to stand there fumbling over your words. Looking like you have no idea what you write, how long it will be, and what the conflict and hook is.
And then there’s the sitting in the bar, riding the elevator, and just general conversation that could lead to someone asking: Tell me about your book question.
So, here I sit working on the all important pitch. Nope. This pitch isn’t for a finished book and no I don’t have an appointment (because my current wip isn’t finished). I am working hard to make it a back cover blurb in fewer words yet still giving what the book is about all the while making the person asking feel like “I’ve just got to read this.”
What about you? Are you pitching at nationals? Writing a query letter? Or are you reading a great book that you chose because of what you read on the back?
xoxoxo,
Vicki
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